Maru's Place in GSL History

And Then There Were Three: Maru's Place in GSL History

The 2018 season of GSL has ended and it's still just sinking in. Maru is the first player ever to win Korean StarCraft II's most coveted title three times running. Winning three straight GSL Code S championships might be the most incredible accomplishment in StarCraft II history.

With Maru's victory have come the inevitable proclamations. Greatest of all time. StarCraft II's first bonjwa. Lofty titles for sure, and maybe even deserved given the magnitude of his achievement.

...but that's a conversation for another day. For now, it's time to think about how Maru's 2018 stacks up against eight years of GSL history, against the illustrious predecessors who made the GSL Code S championship so prestigious in the first place.

Started in August of 2010, the first Global StarCraft II League featured a ragtag group of ex-Brood War pros, foreigners, and online-gosus hoping to make a name for themselves in an entirely new esports scene. Brick by brick, a rich history was built upon that humble foundation. Eight years later, the GSL stands proudly as the most important tournament in competitive StarCraft II.

The players are at the center of GSL's history. We still tell tales about the first pioneers such as FruitDealer, MarineKing, and Nestea. Heart of the Swarm saw the KeSPA invasion begin in full force, with INnoVation and Zest raising the standards of excellence. Legacy of the Void rewarded the patient, with veterans such as Stats and GuMiho lifting the trophy at long last.

Hundreds of players have passed through the GSL, but two players stand out as truly unforgettable, with legacies that are nearly as imposing as the GSL itself.

The first is Mvp, the greatest player of Wings of Liberty, and still regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. The early GSL (and StarCraft II for that matter) was rough around the edges, especially when compared to the 12-year-old professional Brood War scene. A handful of players worked overtime to build the GSL's legitimacy. MKP brought his micro skills, and Nestea offered up his strategic brilliance, but it was Mvp who gave the game the all-around solidity and macro play expected from a mature RTS.

In 2011, Mvp won MLG Anaheim, the Battle.net World Championship, and WCG, but the GSL was his true domain. That year, he won two GSL Code S tournaments (defeating MarineKing and TOP), the inaugural GSL World Championship (the predecessor to GSL vs. The World), and took second place in yet another Code S finals (losing to MMA).

Those victories may have made Mvp a household name, but it was his fourth and final GSL victory in 2012 that made him a legend. His Code S Season 2 finals against Squirtle is perhaps the most memorable and iconic series in StarCraft II history, featuring two of its most famous clutch plays in both the late-game and early-game. Four GSL championships was an unprecedented achievement—just two years into the GSL, StarCraft II fans already knew they had witnessed something special. And indeed, history would bear them out, as it would take five years before anyone matched Mvp's GSL title count (INnoVation in 2017).

Mvp reached another GSL finals in Code S Season 4 of 2012, where he ultimately lost to Life. But the very fact that GomTV prepared a special G5L trophy to commemorate a potential fifth championship—akin to how OnGameNet prepared the Golden Mouse in anticipation of Boxer's third Starleague championship—affirmed Mvp's mythic status in the GSL.

Mvp's career would famously be cut short by injury, and it was fitting that his final GSL match came against soO—a then-unheralded Zerg who would replace Mvp as the GSL's most iconic player. soO reached the Code S finals for the first time at the end of 2013, the first in four consecutive finals appearances. soO wound up losing every single one of those matches.

Such a streak was, in a word, unfathomable. Unfathomable in the consistent excellence required to reach four finals in a row—back-to-back was the best anyone had managed before. Unfathomable in the sheer depth of heartbreak reached by losing them all. But that tragedy was also why soO has left such an indelible impact on the GSL. soO vs the finals became the greatest rivalry in Korea and the leading narrative in every season of GSL in which he participated. He later added two more final appearances in 2016, tying Mvp for six GSL appearances. Without winning a single championship, soO became GSL's biggest story—and star—in two separate years.

As GSL commentator Hwang "GISADO" Yeong Jae said in soO’s 2017 WCS Signature Series, “He’s a symbol. An irreplaceable, incomparable representation of second place.” soO’s constant search for redemption and that elusive championship that made him GSL's heart and soul. For the first time, the GSL had something close to a solo protagonist.

How could anyone rival Mvp and soO for relevance? One would have to accomplish something no one else had ever done before.

Common sense tells us that it should be impossible to win three straight Code S titles. It was ludicrous enough when soO even reached the finals of every Code S season in 2014. But to actually win every Code S in a year? Impossible.

And so, when Maru beat Stats in Code S Season 1 earlier this year, we celebrated it as a long awaited title for one of the most exciting players in the game. It wasn’t until he swept Zest in Season 2 that we started to rethink StarCraft II's reality. TY proved to be a stern test in Season 3, but Maru could not be denied. He once more kissed the trophy, this time not as anyone’s peer, but on a tier all to himself.

Maru’s 2018 is without a doubt the most dominant single year in GSL history. Only one other player had even won two Code S titles back to back: Nestea, way back in 2011 when there were seven Code S tournaments in a single year.

Another testament to Maru's dominance in 2018 the fact that he earned one of the all-time great GSL resumes in a single year. Mvp, who played in the 2011-2012 era that hosted twelve Code S tournaments, still took seventeen months to win three, non-consecutive Code S titles. INnoVation, one of GSL's most persistent champions, won his three over the course of roughly six years. The exceptional results don’t even tell the whole tale—the manner in which Maru completely outclassed the best players in Korea, and the way he constantly broke and rebuilt the meta further enhanced his legendary 2018 GSL run.

If one were to measure players by their ability to dominate at their absolute peak, Maru would be the undisputed, greatest player in GSL history. On the other hand, there's more to greatness than that.

Yes, the plaudit that will follow Maru around forever more is 'three Code S titles in one year.' But an equally valid way of framing it is 'three Code S titles in eight years.' Playing in the GSL since the very first open in 2010, Maru delivered seven years of underachievement before ever reaching the finals. Though he made numerous Code S semifinal appearances in HotS and LotV, he never won more than two maps in any of those series.

Tell me, is a medal truly worth its weight in gold?

GSL's history is replete with ironmen who might scoff at this Maru-come-lately. Mvp’s five Code S finals were spread out over the course of two years. soO finalled in 2013, 2014 and 2017. MC, INnoVation, Zest, and Life have all reached more than one Code S final over the span of multiple years. Throw in the 'lesser' GSL titles (Global Championship/GSL vs. The World, post-2011 Super Tournaments), and the list of multi-year finalists grows quite long (remember, this article is about the greatest players in GSL history).

Ultimately, it's not the just the counting of medals and comparing of resumes that matters, but how they tell the larger tale of a player's unique influence on the GSL. It's why INnoVation fails to cut as imposing a figure as his hallowed predecessor Mvp, despite having the same number of GSL titles. INnoVation is the guy who won a lot, but he's not yet the guy who won the most. Perhaps when he surpasses Mvp's tally by winning another Code S title, he'll carve out his own legacy as the GSL's ultimate compiler. But until then, he'll continue to live in Mvp's shadow (as the 4th greatest player in GSL history—not a bad place to be).

Mvp's in-game excellence gave the nascent GSL the legitimacy that allowed it to become what it is today. soO's suffering imbued it with a complexity and emotional depth beyond merely celebrating winners. Maru has impacted the GSL with something entirely new—he redefined our idea of just how dominant one can be at StarCraft II.

Consistency and trophy-accounting damn Maru if that’s what you care about, but the sheer magnitude of Maru’s achievements cannot be downplayed. Mvp and soO’s fingerprints may be all over GSL, but Maru punched right through the canvas this year.

Whether you consider Mvp, soO or Maru the greatest player in GSL history, you really can’t go wrong. All three are legends in their own right, with unique accomplishments that separate them from their peers. In the end, it’s just another debate without an answer, but the fact that Maru has managed to insert himself into the discussion is proof of how incredible a player he is.

Good article but once again we are overlooking the fact that Maru is in the only team house left in Korea and he certainly has some advantages from that environment, e.g. meal preparation, teammate love, practice, and strategy creation, additional coaching etc..this is not to say his accomplishments are bad, they're amazing, but it's been done in a weaker era with clear advantages over others.

My GSL ranking would have to be:Innovation LifesoOMVPMaru

However if Maru can win next year too, clearly he moves up the list to 1.

Nice article, I found myself getting chills again watching that clip of game 7 in the series against TY haha.

Although it is a reality that he is on the last team house in Korea, but I think that it's really something for Maru to have been in the same "post-KeSpa" spot last year with very lackluster results and winning 4 premier titles this year, with 3 of them being back to back to back Code S wins.

BlizzCon would truly be the seal of dominance when it comes to Maru in 2018; he's not the FlaSh of SC2 yet, but man are the circumstances there to make that happen.

Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

One thing to consider with Maru. Is he the best if his competion is lesser to that of past champions? That sparks the debate of what the skill of 2018 is compared to past years but it is an interesting debate.

I really hope Maru get a good showing at Blizzcon to consolidate his position as one of Korea greatest, if not the greatest. But I fear he's gonna suffer a early exit, favourite rarely do well at Blizzcon and he just "lost" his first tournament in months.

Also it's a damn shame people don't care about OSL and SSL victories. Of which Maru has both, putting him at the only player with 5 starleagues. His OSL was literally a replacement GSL that season as well.

People literally value GSL vs The World and similar weekend events so highly just because they have "GSL" in the title.

Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs

On October 08 2018 04:00 Konage47 wrote:Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

People don't forget that but he was still less succesful in the Kespa era than Inno, Life or Zest.The question is if his success now makes him surpass those players despite happening in a less competitive era.

On October 08 2018 04:00 Konage47 wrote:Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

People don't forget that but he was still less succesful in the Kespa era than Inno, Life or Zest.The question is if his success now makes him surpass those players despite happening in a less competitive era.

Debatable.

In korea he was more successful than someone like Life. He won multiple starleagues and had a ridiculous proleague record. And people do forget how good he was in the kespa days, people only talk about his 2018 runs when discussing his legacy/GOAT potential.

Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs

On October 08 2018 04:00 Konage47 wrote:Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

People don't forget that but he was still less succesful in the Kespa era than Inno, Life or Zest.The question is if his success now makes him surpass those players despite happening in a less competitive era.

Debatable.

In korean events he was more successful than someone like Life. He won multiple starleagues and had a ridiculous proleague record.

He was the best player on a Proleague winning team, THE ENTIRE FUCKING PURPOSE OF KESPA

People jabber about 'Kespa era' so much while forgetting what Kespa even cared about in the first place

AdministratorHey HP can you redo everything youve ever done because i have a small complaint?

On October 08 2018 05:24 Fango wrote:Also it's a damn shame people don't care about OSL and SSL victories. Of which Maru has both, putting him at the only player with 5 starleagues. His OSL was literally a replacement GSL that season as well.

People literally value GSL vs The World and similar weekend events so highly just because they have "GSL" in the title.

I think this is super important to note. OSL and SSL both had just as high a level as competition as the GSL, and to completely leave them out when considering the greatest of all time is just a little ridiculous. Now, granted, this article is titled "Maru's Place in GSL History", but I think you just have to consider more than just the GSL when there have been SO many prestigious tournaments in Korea over the last 8 years.

EDIT: Wax also has a very good point - there's an argument to be made that at one time he was the best player in Proleague. For years the best player in Proleague was practically equivalent to the best player in the world - to this day, when describing Flash's dominance, everyone refers you back to Proleague. Obviously Maru wasn't on the same level of dominance as Flash, but you can't just ignore Proleague results.

Between 5 starleagues, his dominance in Proleague, and 3 consecutive GSL championships, I just don't see how you can really argue Maru's place in Starcraft II history as the best player of all time.

On October 08 2018 04:00 Konage47 wrote:Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

People don't forget that but he was still less succesful in the Kespa era than Inno, Life or Zest.The question is if his success now makes him surpass those players despite happening in a less competitive era.

Debatable.

In korean events he was more successful than someone like Life. He won multiple starleagues and had a ridiculous proleague record.

He was the best player on a Proleague winning team, THE ENTIRE FUCKING PURPOSE OF KESPA

People jabber about 'Kespa era' so much while forgetting what Kespa even cared about in the first place

I just use the term Kespa era to specify the timeframe in which the sc2 scene was the most competitive which happens to be the period in which Kespa was involved in the scene.I'm not talking about the success of those players in Kespa organized tournaments or something like that, I just meant to say that Inno, Life and Zest had overall more success when the scene was the most competitive.

Oh and I also didn't say that this makes Maru place below those players in a GOAT list, just that this is a legitimate argument to consider when comparing him to the other greats.

I would call Maru goat and bonjwa but not the greatest of the GSL. GSL has actually historically been the one place where Maru underperforms, MVP is the greatest in GSL history but we'll see. If Maru gets to a GSL finals next year I'll probably change my mind.

On October 08 2018 05:24 Fango wrote:Also it's a damn shame people don't care about OSL and SSL victories. Of which Maru has both, putting him at the only player with 5 starleagues. His OSL was literally a replacement GSL that season as well.

People literally value GSL vs The World and similar weekend events so highly just because they have "GSL" in the title.

Between 5 starleagues, his dominance in Proleague, and 3 consecutive GSL championships, I just don't see how you can really argue Maru's place in Starcraft II history as the best player of all time.

You can argue his place as the best player of all time by considering that another player has 7 chamionships in korean tournaments out of which 4 are Starleagues and who also dominated Proleague with 2 titles compared to Maru's 1.

On October 08 2018 05:24 Fango wrote:Also it's a damn shame people don't care about OSL and SSL victories. Of which Maru has both, putting him at the only player with 5 starleagues. His OSL was literally a replacement GSL that season as well.

People literally value GSL vs The World and similar weekend events so highly just because they have "GSL" in the title.

Between 5 starleagues, his dominance in Proleague, and 3 consecutive GSL championships, I just don't see how you can really argue Maru's place in Starcraft II history as the best player of all time.

You can argue his place as the best player of all time by considering that another player has 7 chamionships in korean tournaments out of which 4 are Starleagues and who also dominated Proleague with 2 titles compared to Maru's 1.

The fact INno won two SPL titles compared to Maru's 1 is a pretty bad argument when Maru was better than INno personally.

Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs

On October 08 2018 04:00 Konage47 wrote:Even during Keeps era, Maru was dominant. He was a top two terran, one equivalent tournaments to gsl in osl and ask, and had the best record in proleague as a TERRAN when terran was consider the weakest race. People forget that he was a top 10 player (top 5 imo) during the Kespa era.

People don't forget that but he was still less succesful in the Kespa era than Inno, Life or Zest.The question is if his success now makes him surpass those players despite happening in a less competitive era.

Debatable.

In korean events he was more successful than someone like Life. He won multiple starleagues and had a ridiculous proleague record.

He was the best player on a Proleague winning team, THE ENTIRE FUCKING PURPOSE OF KESPA

People jabber about 'Kespa era' so much while forgetting what Kespa even cared about in the first place

I just meant to say that Inno, Life and Zest had overall more success when the scene was the most competitive.

Lets not act like Maru wasn't top 5 during the kespa era though. He won two starleagues (same as INno and Zest), and was better than anyone in proleague. At worst he's barely behind those guys, and depending on the season in question was much better.

Zest, sOs, PartinG, Dark, and Maru are the real champs. ROOT_herO is overrated. Snute, Serral, and Scarlett are the foreigner GOATs